"Africat Foundation"
Top 5 Page for this destinationCheetah Parks Tip by toonsarah

The AfriCat Foundation ia a non-profit organisation, based at Okonjima. It is devoted to the conservation of cheetahs & leopards, rescuing animals that have been trapped by local farmers; providing humane housing, treatment and care for orphaned and injured animals; educating visitors and local people, especially farmers and school-children, about the animals they protect.

They provide a home and care for animals that currently cannot be released back into the wild. These are often orphaned cubs that are too young to cope on their own. These have either been captured without their mothers or their mothers have been killed. Others are animals that have been in captivity elsewhere and have become habituated to people or completely tame, making them unsuitable for release.

Most of the cheetahs and leopards that have suffered injuries are returned to the wild after recuperation, but in cases where the injuries have been too extensive, the cats have had to remain in captivity. The animals are housed in spacious enclosures of between five and four hundred acres in a natural, stress-free environment.

We visited the Foundation as part of our package while staying at Okonjima. We went first to see the clinic and food preparation area, and then went into the cheetahs? huge enclosure in jeeps which were delivering their food (very large and bloody joints of game!) I?d imagined that we?d be lucky to spot a few cheetahs in the distance but that wasn?t the case at all. The animals have learned to associate the noise of the vehicles with food and soon came running towards us. It was a fantastic experience to see how fast and how beautifully they run, and then to be able to watch them from such a close distance ? at times only a metre from the jeep. If you love big cats, this is really a must-see place on any visit to Namibia.

You can also adopt a cheetah, leopard or other animal ? visit the website (below) to find out more.

Directions: On the farm of Okonjima, near the town of OtjiwarongoPhone:067 304566Website:http://www.africat.org